"The Life Breath of Democracy"

[H2O Man]

"No American, young or old, must ever be denied the right to dissent. No minority must be muzzled. Opinion and protest are the life breath of democracy -- even when it blows heavy.

"But I urge you never to dissent merely because someone asked you to or because someone else does. Please know why you protest. Know what it is you dissent from. And always try, when you do disagree, to offer a choice to the course that you disapprove. For dissent and protest must be the recourse of men who, in challenging the existing order, reason their way to a better order."
-- President Lyndon B. Johnson; June 7, 1966

I am glad to see people working to get more citizens to participate in the democratic process. That is one of the essential steps in reviving our Constitutional democracy. That includes people at the grass roots level, urging college students to exercise their right to vote. And it includes any celebrity who encourages the grass roots to exercise their right to vote.

In 2000 and 2004, we witnessed the actions of those who were convinced that they could determine what groups of people should be denied the right to vote. That was an essential step in their plan to weaken our Constitutional democracy.

We should all be working to increase the number of registered voters in the democratic party.

[stillcool]

1. some history ...

....will it go round in circles?

*1790 Only white male adult property-owners have the right to vote.
*1810 Last religious prerequisite for voting is eliminated.
*1850 Property ownership and tax requirements eliminated by 1850. Almost all adult white males could vote.
*1855 Connecticut adopts the nation's first literacy test for voting. Massachusetts follows suit in 1857. The tests were implemented to discriminate against Irish-Catholic immigrants.
*1870 The 15th Amendment is passed. It gives former slaves the right to vote and protects the voting rights of adult male citizens of any race.
*1889 Florida adopts a poll tax. Ten other southern states will implement poll taxes.
*1890 Mississippi adopts a literacy test to keep African Americans from voting. Numerous other states—not just in the south—also establish literacy tests. However, the tests also exclude many whites from voting. To get around this, states add grandfather clauses that allow those who could vote before 1870, or their descendants, to vote regardless of literacy or tax qualifications.
*1913 The 17th Amendment calls for members of the U.S. Senate to be elected directly by the people instead of State Legislatures.
*1915 Oklahoma was the last state to append a grandfather clause to its literacy requirement (1910). In Guinn v. United States the Supreme Court rules that the clause is in conflict with the 15th Amendment, thereby outlawing literacy tests for federal elections.
*1920 The 19th Amendment guarantees women's suffrage.
*1924 Indian Citizenship Act grants all Native Americans the rights of citizenship, including the right to vote in federal elections.
*1944 The Supreme Court outlaws "white primaries" in Smith v. Allwright (Texas). In Texas, and other states, primaries were conducted by private associations, which, by definion, could exclude whomever they chose. The Court declares the nomination process to be a public process bound by the terms of 15th Amendment.
*1957 The first law to implement the 15th amendment, the Civil Rights Act, is passed. The Act set up the Civil Rights Commission—among its duties is to investigate voter discrimination.
*1960 In Gomillion v. Lightfoot (Alabama) the Court outlaws "gerrymandering."
*1961 The 23rd Amendment allows voters of the District of Columbia to participate in presidential elections.
*1964 The 24th Amendment bans the poll tax as a requirement for voting in federal elections.
*1965 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., mounts a voter registration drive in Selma, Alabama, to draw national attention to African-American voting rights.
*1965 The Voting Rights Act protects the rights of minority voters and eliminates voting barriers such as the literacy test. The Act is expanded and renewed in 1970, 1975, and 1982.
*1966 The Supreme Court, in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections, eliminates the poll tax as a qualification for voting in any election. A poll tax was still in use in Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia.
*1966 The Court upholds the Voting Rights Act in South Carolina v. Katzenbach.
*1970 Literacy requirements are banned for five years by the 1970 renewal of the Voting Rights Act. At the time, eighteen states still have a literacy requirement in place. In Oregon v. Mitchell, the Court upholds the ban on literacy tests, which is made permanent in 1975. Judge Hugo Black, writing the court's opinion, cited the "long history of the discriminatory use of literacy tests to disenfranchise voters on account of their race" as the reason for their decision.
*1971 The 26th amendment sets the minimum voting age at 18.
*1972 In Dunn v. Blumstein, the Supreme Court declares that lengthy residence requirements for voting in state and local elections is unconstitutional and suggests that 30 days is an ample period.
*1995 The Federal "Motor Voter Law" takes effect, making it easier to register to vote.

*2003 Federal Voting Standards and Procedures Act requires states to streamline registration, voting, and other election procedures.

[spanone]

2. We should all be working to increase the number of registered voters in the democratic party.

RECOMMENDED

[Me.]

3. I Totally Agree

There's been a lot of criticism for Oprah here on DU. I listened to her speech and thought it was extremely effective. I saw interviews with people who never caucused before who now said they would which I think is great. I am glad for the while event and I say this as someone who hasn't made up my mind yet

What Blackwell, Rove, the people in Florida did goes beyond transgression and some of the fix is to get people out in such numbers that they can't pull it again.

[DemReadingDU]

9. I wonder if people are turning out more to see Oprah or Obama

But if this leads to people becoming more politically aware and more registrations to vote, then this is great!

[Me.]

4. Afternoon

:kick:

[BeFree]

5. I dunno, H2O. Lets debate this.....Ever hear this?

Outlaw all protests. Arrest all protesters. If you don't like the government, why don't you move to France? Anyone protesting against the government is against us. The government is keeping us safe, and if that's not good enough for you, move to Africa, why don't ya? How can the government get anything done when they stop to listen to people? Leave them alone, they're politicians and you elected them, so let them politic. Heck, we've the best government money can buy, that's a fact!

And corporations. They are here for your good, and your good alone. In fact, companies do a better job than government, because they are businessmen and not politicians. So leave business alone. Quit protesting little mistakes; start buying. Shoot, the way things are going we will soon need another law keeping people from protesting and bad-mouthing companies.

That Liberal media. Who in the heck do they think they are, looking over the shoulder of government and business? The liberal media is responsible for broken families, drugs and the price of oil. Every night they talk about broken families, drugs and the high price of oil. Every night. It's getting old and really, it can no longer be considered as 'news', we heard it all before!

Instead the Liberal media should stick to good news - like how people in India are rising up from poverty and are becoming more American everyday. Or how a billion Chinese now live productive lives making stuff for America. Great footage there.

And why doesn't the Liberal Media tell us about the great savings corporations and government are giving us because we don't make them clean the sewage? The savings are in the trillions already. That is good news.

But at least the Liberal media is not protesting, so you can say that about the media. After all, if you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all.

[H2O Man]

6. Okay.

Let's talk about it. Could you tell me how you relate it to attempts to register voters? I'm not sure what it is that you wish to debate.

[BeFree]

7. Register voters?

Heheheh, I just wanted to kick your OP, H2, and had that protest satire just sitting around.

peace

[H2O Man]

8. We could sing.

This song fits some DU discussions from the past 72 hours:

Rat Race
by the Prophet Bob Marley

Uh! Ya too rude!
Uh! Eh! OH What a rat race!
Oh, what a rat race!
Oh, what a rat race!
Oh, what a rat race!
This is the rat race! Rat race! (Rat race!)

Some a lawful, some a bastard, some a jacket:
Oh, what a rat race, yeah! Rat race!

Some a gorgon-a, some a hooligan-a, some a guine-gog-a
In this 'ere rat race, yeah!
Rat race!
I'm singin' that
When the cat's away,
The mice will play.
Political voilence fill ya city, ye-ah!
Don't involve Rasta in your say say;
Rasta don't work for no C.I.A.
Rat race, rat race, rat race! Rat race, I'm sayin':
When you think is peace and safety:
A sudden destruction.
Collective security for surety, ye-ah!

Don't forget your history;
Know your destiny:
In the abundance of water,
The fool is thirsty.
Rat race, rat race, rat race!

Rat race!
Oh, it's a disgrace
To see the human-race
In a rat race, rat race!
You got the horse race;
You got the dog race;
You got the human-race;
But this is a rat race, rat race!